Women’s Impact Fund Hosts Sold-Out 2025 Annual Meeting
by Aimee Greeter, Communications Committee
On May 6, the Women’s Impact Fund (WIF) celebrated another successful year at the Annual Meeting, an event that sold out for the second year in a row. Held at The Union at Station West, the evening brought together WIF members, guests, community partners and non-profit leaders to reflect on recent accomplishments and look ahead to new opportunities for impact.
WIF Board Chair Katie Susong opened the evening with a welcome and call to order, setting the tone for an inspiring and informative program. Blanca Gonzalez, WIF At-Large Director, then shared her remarks. Representing Wells Fargo (her employer and that of 20 additional WIF members) and WIF’s other generous community partners, Blanca emphasized the importance of collaboration in driving change.
After Blanca’s remarks, Katie returned to the stage to present a “Year in Review & Strategic Plan Report,” offering insight into WIF’s continued growth and future goals. The current strategic plan is focused on three pillars – Lead, Impact and Connect – and WIF continues to make progress on all three.
Subsequently, Executive Director Patricia Massey Hoke delivered the Annual Operating Report, highlighting organizational milestones and financial performance. In keeping with years’ prior, WIF maintains solid membership, revenue and operational reserves.
Amy Hutch, Community Impact Vice Chair, next spoke on the impact of the 2024 grants, detailing the ten 2024 awardees and the progress each has made over the course of the past year. Her updates celebrated the tangible outcomes made possible by WIF’s most recent round of unrestricted funding and philanthropic investments into the community.
The evening’s momentum continued with the much-anticipated 2025 Grant Announcements by Katherine Bunn, Grants Chair. As part of this year’s grants process, WIF received more than 150 applications. Ultimately, the pool was narrowed to 20 finalists across five categories. This year’s awardees included five recipients of Opportunity Grants totaling $8,000 and five recipients of Impact Grants totaling $61,350. With these grants, WIF has now surpassed $8.5M in total giving since its inception 21 years ago, an absolutely amazing feat.
Next, Katherine Mooring, Spark Chair, revealed the ten recipients of the 2025 Spark Award, recognizing women who are doing innovative work in the community. This year, the Spark Award was aligned with the traditional grants process, thereby allowing the recipients to be announced at the Annual Meeting. This tradition will continue in years to come.
Governance Chair Kathleen O’Bannon then oversaw the election of the 2025–2026 Board of Directors and Board of Advisors. Based on ballots cast throughout the course of the evening and building upon the work of this year’s Governance committee, the approved slate revealed the women who will ensure strong guidance of the organization for the years ahead.
The evening ended with a reflection by Katie Susong and Nikki Jarrell, including special recognition of Patricia Massey Hoke, who will be leaving WIF as of June 30, after serving the last 6 years as WIF’s first-ever Executive Director. Patricia’s closing remarks reminded the audience of the power of female-led philanthropy and the differences we are able to make, both individually and collectively. Her short, yet powerful speech closed out the evening with a spirit of gratitude and excitement for what’s to come.
This year’s Annual Meeting reaffirmed WIF’s powerful role in transforming Charlotte through collective giving and civic engagement. As the fiscal year comes to a close, we look forward to the adventures and opportunities that 2025 – 2026 will bring!
